Why does ITS need to assess my request?
ITS has a responsibility to maintain the reliability and integrity of Middlebury College’s technology resources.
This means that before we add to or otherwise change our technology landscape, we have to assess whether a request fits in with what we already have. We also must assess if the work for a request fits in with what we already committed to as a department. Our staff spend on average two-thirds of their time keeping Middlebury’s existing services running. This leaves limited time for new initiatives, and most of this time is committed well in advance.
We assess requests to make sure we’re stewarding College resources appropriately – both budgetary funding and staff time.
How does the assessment work?
The assessment process is designed with multiple checkpoints that help us take stock of what we already know and whether it makes sense to continue. Each project is unique and may take more or less time in each stage. Your request may also be redirected and handled as an operational ticket instead if we determine that it’s minor enough to not be considered a full project. If at any point we determine it doesn’t make sense to continue to the next stage, we’ll work with you to determine if and when it could move forward. We will communicate with you throughout this process to keep you appraised of where your request stands.
Intake
When you first contact us, we’ll have a discovery call with you to talk about funding or plans for funding, the business need you want to address, who would access a service, whether your VP or department head is sponsoring the request, general timeline, and other high-level questions.
This helps us understand whether something should move to the next stage. For example, if a request comes in that is unfunded and that your VP is unaware of, we need to give them the chance to decide if this is something they want to request funding for.
The basic outline of your request also helps us understand which of our team members would need to participate in the next phases. If those team members are committed to other duties and projects, we may not be able to move forward until their workload lessens.
Analysis
Analysis is where we document your needs and further assess if and when we have the resources to help you. We get a clearer picture of your business and functional requirements and how it might make sense to meet them. If you’re trying to find software or a vendor, these documented requirements help you ensure that your selection will meet your needs. If your requirements match up to a service we already offer, we’ll recommend you use it.
We also start to look at the technical requirements. If you’ve already selected a vendor, these may come more from their side.
At the close of analysis, we have a suggested way to meet your need. We also understand who will be best equipped to determine if the proposed solution is viable. If those subject matter experts are committed elsewhere, we may not be able to move to the next stage.
Evaluation
This is the last phase before your request is submitted for approval. In this phase, subject matter experts look at your needs and the proposed solution. They look at things like security, privacy, accessibility, and where it would fit in with our other services. These evaluations often depend on information that comes from a vendor, and sometimes vendors slow things down significantly when they take a long time to respond.
We also flesh out the remaining technical requirements. Sometimes a request can’t be implemented because of simple incompatibility with our existing systems. Technical requirements also help us understand how much time staff would need to dedicate both during implementation and on an ongoing basis.
At the end of evaluation, these subject matter experts recommend whether or not to approve a request.
Approval
During approval, we review whether your request is safe, funded, and feasible. All three must be answered Yes to move forward.
- Safe: This meets our security, privacy, and accessibility standards. It would not disrupt our existing environment in an unduly negative way.
- Funded: The costs are understood and have a sufficient ongoing funding source. For most new initiatives, your department will need to provide funding.
- Feasible: The technical requirements are possible AND we have sufficient staff to perform the necessary work in the given timeframe.
We try to work with you to adjust the project timeline or decrease the scope when we find a request isn’t feasible.
When will I know my request is approved?
Checkpoints between each assessment stage occur at places where we have enough information to reveal blockers. These blockers mean we can’t move to the next stage. However, moving to the next stage does not mean your request is approved overall – it is only approved for us commit more time and effort to understand it. Your request is not approved until the final assessment stage, approval.
Once your project is approved, it moves into the implementation stages.